Glaucous-Winged Gull

Created on Day 5

The glaucous-winged gull eats mollusks that have hard outer shells by dropping them onto coastal rocks from the air to break them open.

Design

The glaucous-winged gull eats mollusks that have hard outer shells by dropping them onto coastal rocks from the air to break them open. How does the gull know to do this to get to the food inside the shell? The Creator either gave the gulls the ability to learn this behavior, or it was programmed into the gull from the beginning.

Features

The adult glaucous-winged gull has pale gray wings and back, a white body,
and pink legs. Its bill is yellow with a red spot. The skin around the eyes
is a pink color.

The head and neck of non-breeding adults is streaked with brownish-gray.

Fun Facts

Some of the calls of the glaucous-winged gull sound like cries, chuckles,
and hisses.

The adult gull regurgitates food for its young.

This bird often spends a lot of time on land eating the garbage from the
docks.

In addition to mollusks, this species of gull feeds on salmon roe (eggs)
and the remains of dead or dying fish killed by bears during spawning runs.

Make your next visit to the aquarium more than just entertaining—make it factual and fascinating too! This handy size guide is excellent for school field trips and family trips to your favorite aquarium.